The Architect
by TheAnonymousDeviant
Summary: Mary thought she would just be paying bills with this new job she signed onto, little did she know the horrors that awaited her upon meeting her new boss.
1. Chapter 1

_-Is it coming?_  
_-Is it coming?_  
_-Is it coming back?_  
_-I'm a rebel just for kicks._  
_-Yeah your love is an abyss-_

One paint stained sneaker tapped rhythmically to the song, the spray can bottle in her hand rattling as she observed her work on the abandoned bridge. Her tongue pressed against the back of her teeth, looking over the colors she had been using as she tried to see where one pattern met another and deduce whether it all made sense. It had been a time since she did anything unrelated to work; this was a nice getaway into the land of something nostalgic, to a time when she would freely create without the worry of another's approval.

No, she isn't an artist for a living. The woman that stands in the poor lighting this night is an architect, though she did second in art just for the sake of improving her hobby. She could never take up art as a career but she'll admit anytime she meets someone who has how impressed she is at their ability to not burn out permanently when it comes to mixing work and pleasure.  
Truth be told, she is considering selling her work as of late. Working from home and selling blueprints to companies or at times to other architects who want the credit wasn't paying the bills enough anymore. Mary enjoyed the process of creation but hated the paperwork that came with it, even the recognition was unwarranted – if money wasn't such a necessary commodity she would pass on that too. Money is precisely why she is here, blowing off steam and trying to bounce back from the fact her email was still unchanged when she checked it earlier. No new jobs meant bad things for this upcoming month of bills. If she couldn't beat up the state of the world she could at least paint something beautiful somewhere the world had forgotten.

Unfortunately like any escape this was all something temporary. She tries not to be the one who worries, her brother did enough of that for the both of them and someone had to be grounded in the relationship now that it was just the two of them. During times of stress their roles reversed; she was his rock in a crisis and he was her rock in the day to day - it was normal and it was good, even with all they had been dealing with as of late.

_Bzzzt._

The music paused and speak of the Devil, there was that charmingly horrendous shot of her brother with his face shoved against a glass door to tell her who was calling. She flipped open her phone and lifted it to her ear, "Hey. What's up?"

"What's up?" He sputtered almost comically, "What's up? Dude, do you know what time it is?"

"I can't see while I'm on the phone with you but I'm assuming it's late?"

There was a beat of silence and Mary swore she could hear him frowning on the other end of the line, "Did you forget we have an appointment tomorrow morning? Like, early tomorrow morning. With the lawyer."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Alex sighed quietly, "You're out doing graffiti again, aren't you?" There's a beat of silence but that's enough for him. "I don't care that you do that stuff, sis', but we can't really afford if you get picked up again for it."

"I know! I picked somewhere quiet. I'm at the bridge nearby where we used to go fishing."

She could hear him noisily chewing on his lip for a moment, "Are you going to be too tired to drive home? That's a bit of a ways out."

"I'll be good. Sorry, I just needed to shake off some stress and… this place is comfortable. I wanted to do something nice out here for a bit now, you know?"

"Yeah." He said quietly, "Just come home soon, okay? We can unwind together and get some sleep to face whatever new bill is going to be added to our list tomorrow." There's a chuckle on his end but it's only half-humored.

Mary's lips quirked nonetheless, "Okay. I'll pack up and head back to guarantee I'm not picked up by the nice officers from our town. Save that for tomorrow when we get rabid on the lawyer."

He laughed at the thought for a few seconds, "Get home. Love you, drive safely."

"Will do, bro. Love you, too. Bye." Mary hung up and flipped the phone shut, shoving it back into her pocket with a sigh. Maybe tomorrow would have better news.

* * *

She must be getting old for these late nights to be making her a slug come morning. With some coffee in her system the two of them headed out to the lawyers and with it came more of the same.

The door slammed shut as the two left the office, fuming their way back to the car.

"I don't fucking understand. We sold everything they owned pretty much, how is it still not enough?" Alex fumbled for his keys, hands shakily trying to get them to unlock his car.

Mary leaned her front against the door, watching her brother from the opposite side of the car. "We can do some spring cleaning and see what else we can sell."

He dropped the keys and swiftly picked them back up, "We shouldn't have to!" Alex replied, an octave higher as he looked at her. "I'm tired of having to sell the few things we've managed to collect that we like. Or things I want to hold onto for when future me is settled down, maybe has a family or something, I don't know!"

"I didn't know you wanted to be a dad." Mary cooed, resting her chin on her forearm. A harmless grin found its way onto her face as she tried to ease his mind a moment. "You'd be a good dad."

"I can't afford to be a dad."

"That's why you use condoms."

He unlocked the car door and snorted, "Your parents should have used a condom."

"Your life would be a whole lot sadder if that was the case." She pulled the handle but the door didn't open, "Oh real mature, dude." It clicked and she got inside, passing a look his way before shutting the door behind her.

Alex started the engine and backed out, cutting the wheel as he reversed and then shifted into gear again to start moving forward. "I don't know how we are supposed to handle all of this."

"We just will, Alex. You have a good, steady job and I should have more work lined up for me before the month changes over. There are some other things we can do, too. We're going to be okay." Her hand rubbed his shoulder for a moment before pulling back. "We'll take a small break when we get home and then get to work on some stuff, and then relax tonight with some movies."

He nodded his head but was quiet; it was rare for her brother to not verbally reply and she knew he was already stressed from the situation at hand. For this to not even gain a response beyond a nod from him caught her attention; when Mary looked over she could see him blinking away the tears that were trying to spill over.

"Dude, pull over." He opened his mouth to protest but she insisted, "Pull over now."

The blinker flipped on as he slowed off to the side of the road and parked the car; shoulders sagging as his breathing became shaky. "I'm sorry."

"What else is going on? You've had extra anxiety going on lately that you're obviously not resolving." Mary took off her seat belt and turned a little more comfortably to face him.

"I just feel so bad." He wiped his eyes, sucking in air between his teeth.

"What do you feel bad about? What we are dealing with is out of our control, I know you know this. What else is making you feel bad?"

Alex pushed his face into his hands and shook his head a little, "I don't want to make you upset."

"So you'd rather be upset by yourself? Talk to me so we can be fine together, cause' I'm totally not fine with you letting your anxiety win right now."

He took a few deep breaths, nodding his head a few times as he tried to gain some control. "I feel bad you have to go through this all over again, too."

Her mouth parted a moment before shutting, a puff of air exhaling noisily at his worry. "You know I was young, dude. I don't really remember anything; I didn't have these problems to deal with. I don't feel like I'm going through anything all over again because most of my life was spent with you guys. If that changes you'll be the first to know; _and_ if that does change it is okay, by the way. You don't have to feel so bad, though. I think your brain is being a dick and trying to add extra baggage that totally doesn't need to be there. Are you going to listen to it or are you going to listen to me, the person you feel bad for that is also telling you it is okay to let that go?"

His hands wiped his tears away quietly for a few minutes as he thought it over, working through his emotions and trying to find the high ground in all of it. "You, I'll listen to you. I trust you and believe you, man." Alex said more for himself than her.

"What I am saying makes sense to you right now?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah. It's helping, just calming down everything that was running high. I'll tell you if it changes, sis'." He let out a shaky breath and gripped wheel of the car, "Shit, I'm glad I took off today."

"Me too, though, you're working a double tomorrow because of it."

"Don't remind me." Alex groaned, resting the back of his head against the seat. "Mind swapping spots?"

Her head shook, "Don't mind at all. Whenever you're ready, bro. We don't have anything scheduled the rest of the day."

Alex reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks." He leaned over the console uncomfortably but found his head against her shoulder. The two of them sat there for a time just relaxing, gradually working their way back to casual banter that led into a plan to tackle. Resilient even in the face of hard times; this trait was not one that was uncommon to humans but it was the strength of their bond that made it unique. Their souls sparked with their own will, yet when the two came together they danced harmoniously.  
It would not be an easy day but it would be made better through effort and communication; the unshakable level of trust that had been built over most of their lives kept pieces that were fracturing from breaking apart completely. A little longer, they'd tell those pieces, just wait a little longer to see if there really was a finish line at the end of all of this.

* * *

**I don't own anything Supernatural related. Don't hunt me next please.**

**I know it has been a while, sorry about that. Like I said before, I had some things written out back when this site had things on a shorter time limit to be saved as drafts and it got erased because I was too busy to pay attention. But here we go finally. This reboot is going to keep a lot of the same things in it but I'm changing up how it was being told a little more to be what I imagined it to be originally. We should be seeing Dick in the next chapter, though.  
I have taken some liberties with some lore here and there but nothing that I think is outside of the Supernatural realm.  
**

**Thanks for your patience! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.  
**_I also may have done a thing on tumblr oops. Feel free to look at my profile if you're interested in what that means._


	2. Chapter 2

She woke up face down in bed, hair in disarray and body heavy from the late night horror movie marathon she baited her brother into. A job well done; pride bubbled to the surface for a second before her eyes rolled back and her face hit the pillow. So much for prying herself out of bed but at least she didn't have a hangover this time.  
Thankfully Mary didn't have a schedule to adhere to, unlike Alex who had to wake up just after sunrise for his shift. The most she did with her day, besides work from home, was go and pick her brother up for lunch a few times a week. Today was one of those days and with that reminder she pulled herself unsteadily from bed, making her way into the shower to begin her late day.

Pulling on her boots she grabbed her keys and headed out of their apartment, bag slung over her shoulder and headphones in place as she bobbed her head. With a flick of her finger she dropped her sunglasses down over her eyes; the flavor of strawberries filled her mouth as she folded the bar gum between her teeth and bit down. Sitting in a dark room despite the bright flashes of horror movies never managed to train her eyes for the sunlight come (late, _late_) morning. With a loud pop of the bubble she had begun blowing the door locked behind her.

Mrs. Linden from the downstairs apartment was tending to her flower pots out front; she could smell the fresh fertilizer as she descended down the stairs and glanced around the corner. The same sun hat sat upon her graying head as she sat on her knees, arms buried in the long rectangular flower tub her husband had made her some odd years ago. Or so Alex had said.  
The two looked to one another with passing nods before continuing with their day.

Mary was not really on speaking terms with her neighbors; there wasn't any animosity between them and her, it just was a friendly but silent relationship they shared. Her brother swapped some words now and then, passing pleasantries that would become nothing more. Not that they couldn't, not that there was anything wrong if they did – except for the anxious feeling of there being something totally wrong if they did for him. _But anxiety is often just irrational or hyping the valid points one should actually be focused on, ughs._

It was okay if it was just the two of them for a little longer. They had the whole future ahead of them, spending time in each other's lives and bringing strangers that would become friends and maybe even family into the fold could wait a short while.  
They just needed a little more time to grow as individuals before then; they were both able to recognize that now was not the right time to befriend with the potential of being unreliable to make the effort for said friendships. All of this was alright; as long as kindness was still put out in the form of acknowledgement the door would still be left open for whenever they were ready to go through it.  
Even if one may go sooner before the other.

* * *

_All around the world  
We could make time  
Rompin' and a-stompin'  
'cause I'm in my prime~_

The song blared through her headphones as she kicked her car door shut behind her; the bottom of her boots grinding down on the pebbles in the parking lot as she jived to the music, making her way to the front door. Mary's wavy hair bounced, dancing along with each step that gradually became less of a dance and more of a walk. Best not to give the suits too much to talk about at her brother's place of work.

A finger turned down the music as she entered the building and made her way to the front desk. She observed as she often did the grey and white corporate building that seemed to suck the color of life from out of everything within. Her gaze wandered over the unoriginal sign that sat in the middle of the room, the large "RRE" front and center on a scenic background that was surrounded by an inflexible white border spoke louder in its symbolism than the trademark logo the company was recently pushing.

Her gum popped again as she looked ahead, watching the woman in front of her having gone quiet from debating with security on an appointment she clearly didn't have. Mary's arms lifted, winding around one another as she stretched them over her head with a satisfied sigh to chase away the moment of boredom.

"Next." Her attention perked, arms dropping as she stepped forward. "Hey Mary, how are you doing today?"

"Hungry." She answered, forearms leaning on the counter as she glanced behind her to make sure there wasn't anyone just yet. "Waiting on Alex, usual drill. How's the day going with you, Andy?"

He motioned to the people moving around the room, "Same old, same old." A crooked smile caught his lips as he looked pointedly at her. "Alex looked pretty rough this morning."

"Isn't that normal?"

Andy chuckled, "Fair, but don't tell him I said that. What were you two binge watching this time?"

"More horror movies, we've been going through old classics."

"Got any recommendations this week?"

She didn't have to ask for a pen and paper as he slid it over to her, "For you? Sure thing, Andy." Mary scribbled a few titles down before passing it back to his side of the counter.

"I appreciate it. Feel free to make yourself comfortable wherever, Mary." He said, nodding his head to the person coming their way.

"Will do. Have a sane shift!" She waved and moved towards a chair in the waiting area, fingers dancing across the buttons of her phone as she shot her brother a text.

The clock hit one and she groaned quietly; ten minutes had officially passed since her arrival. Her music was playing louder once more since her encounter with Andy; watching the suits move about the room as they found their own place or engaged with one another. A finger began wrapping around a lock of hair idly, unenthusiastically observing the way people began striking up conversation with each other.

It isn't that she felt gross interacting with people. It came easy a lot of the time, though it may not necessarily feel as easy when it is happening. In truth everything about interacting with people still felt alien. Whatever enjoyment she got out of engaging with others now partially feels difficult to comprehend with the added layer of distance she has put up; Mary might as well be on Mars communicating back with Earth. She felt plenty of things in her heart but everything had become so desaturated, the worst part being she also feels as though she knows what color once was in all its vibrancy.  
This feeling isn't new, certainly made worse from the accident that led to their parent's untimely death. Something that has lingered for years, never quite a problem but always there each step of the way with her, just out of her line of sight.

Her eyes continued to scan the room before she noticed her brother coming down the clear glass elevator. The moment she spotted him a smile broke out; he was against the glass, pawing as it with a cheeky grin. The woman sharing the elevator with him was nearby the elevator door, watching him judgingly as though he may turn his strange behavior upon her.  
The moment the elevator reached the bottom and the doors opened, she sped out with him practically dodging past her. Mary was already on her feet, a playful, "You're late." leaving her lips as she eyed him over.

"You're hungry, I know. Please forgive me, your highness." He lowered his voice as he leaned in closer, "I fell asleep at my desk! It's all your fault."

"I didn't make you stay up; you did that all on your own."

Alex's tongue clicked as he shot her a disapproving look, "No, but you knew I would if you baited me."

Her eyes lit up, "It's not my fault you're so easy, you slut." A grin unraveled as she took a light swat to the arm. "You got everything? Can we go?"

"Yeah, yeah." Alex said as they began walking, patting down his pockets before he stopped. "No, shit, wait. I forgot my keys, phone and flash drive."

"Wallet too?" Mary inquired with a sigh.

"Wallet too."

"So you left everything you need." An exasperated sigh was heaved from her body, thrust into world to nosily display her absolute displeasure.

He rolled his eyes at her, "Yes, okay? I'm going to go get them. You coming or staying?"

Mary began walking towards the elevator, "If I have to wait any longer I'll scream."

"…Is it bad that I would rather see that happen?" Alex murmured with amusement evident in his tone as he followed his sister into the elevator. She cast him a look that feigned scolding, one she couldn't commit to when the idea of screaming in public seemed so fun.

The two leaned back on the railing, bantering further back and forth and before they simmered down when others stepped into the elevator with them. Her brother passed a friendly smile to the two men though there was little acknowledgement returned. They seemed to look through the two of them for a moment that felt too long before their attention turned back onto one another.

"She's not wearing a visitor's pass." One of the men directed to Alex, tapping on the laminated badge that hung from his suit pocket.

"Oh! Sorry about that, she-"

Mary jerked her bag with obvious annoyance to draw attention away from her brother. "For real? It's in here and I'm like, always here. Forgive me for just tossing it in my bag when I thought my brother wouldn't forget his wallet. _This time_." Her hand grabbed the zipper of her bag but she didn't yet open it up. "We're just trying to go get lunch, dude."

"It's the rules. I get it; I get cranky when I don't get food in me, too." A smirk tugged onto his lips, one that his coworker shared.

"Rustles me up real good." Mary chuckled as she looked at him for a beat of a moment before a huff left her. He was still expecting a pass – she'd give him one. Unzipping her bag she revealed the two dozen and then some stuffed inside. "Is this…? Hm."

Alex shot an apologetic smile to his coworkers; though he was uncertain which floor their worked on he could see they weren't playing around with verifying her identity. "Sis, let me-"

"Nah, I'm good. Might have just fallen to the bottom… Gosh, what day is it today?"

_Ding_.

Alex glanced to the screen above the door, "Oh, our floor! Guess we can all get off here so she can show you." He pulled his sister out the door and off to the side, his other hand bracing to keep the elevator open as some other stepped on.

"It's fine." One of the suits said with a small wave, "We get it. Keep it on you next time."

Mary's head lifted to look at the two of them, "Oh, yeah, sure! Sorry about that, guys." Her attention shifted away from them as the doors closed to instead look at her brother. "Guess I met some of your douchey coworkers."

"Just doing their jobs… maybe? But yeah."

"What? Am I that dangerous looking?" She scoffed, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets as she followed him.

"You look like any cat that has ever existed that's sitting on any shelf that's just trying to do shelf things. Or some horrible little goblin staring at the people in town square." He began, lifting a hand as she opened her mouth. "If you were Schrödinger's cat he'd be like, 'I'm fine never opening this.'"

"_Wow_!"

"Pandora whispered, 'What have I done…' when she released you."

"_Okay_."

"We see you and we just know something is about to come, is what I'm saying." Alex laughed.

Mary rolled her eyes, "Dude, I get it."

"That's why I worry when you're playing with 'crayons' late at night." He leaned over to whisper and only received a loud huff in response as she pushed him away. "Got that look about you."

"What are you doing back?" A voice asked, the drilling against the keyboard coming to a halt.

Alex whipped his head around to look at his coworker, "Forgot my everything. Heading out for lunch for real now, you want anything?"

"You're offering?" The redhead flashed a playful smile, "No, but thanks." She looked towards Mary with a small wave, "Hey there."

"How's it going, Charlie?" She asked, having a vague acquaintanceship with the woman. Alex and Charlie always seemed to jive well from the stories she heard; they never have met up outside of work but she supposed that didn't necessarily mean they weren't friends under this roof. Mary could see why, she always seemed to be pretty chill in their own scattered engagements.

A lazy one shoulder shrug was given by Charlie, "I got a weird job given to me by Mr. Roman himself." She held up a hard drive, giving it a small wave. It immediately interested Alex as he finished shoving his items into his pockets and walked closer, "Apparently it has some compromising information about the company that he doesn't want leaked."

"Should you really be telling us that?"

She shrugged again, "I have to do it in three days or I'm fired, so if you don't see me…"

"As if you won't be able to crack it." Alex laughed at the absurdity. "But just in case please leave me some good stuff."

"Dude, she's not dying." Mary chuckled as she looked at the redhead, "Sounds pretty damn important regardless."

"Yeah, going to take everything in me not to go peeking." Charlie laughed a little before turning around in her chair, "But don't let me take up the only hour reprieve you get in this place."

"Shit, yeah. Chat later, Charlie!" He patted the back of her chair.

"Good luck." Mary added with a small smile as she followed him back downstairs, noticing Andy was talking with another security guard and the two men from the elevator. Maybe they were just doing routine checks or nagging him about her run-in. He didn't seem concerned as he headed out of the room with them, leaving someone else at the front desk.  
Note to self: apologize if she caused any trouble next time she sees him.

* * *

Well they couldn't get very far with the time crunch; seated outside at a nearby café the two of them munched on a few shared appetizers. Mary sat slouched over the table as she sketched her brother while he was on his phone. The sketch turned out being a little more realistic than she intended with his face stretched and fastened onto his skeletal structure. The passing glances to her journal were always priceless; the way his face twisted or he pretended to gag the more detailed she got really only served to enable her more. It brought some lightness as they discussed bills and plans to move forward with. Money was tight even with his full time job and her working two from home. The funeral costs were as outrageous as they feared which only set them back further into debt, dragging down their normal bills into a worrisome state.  
But at least they could laugh together at stupid doodles during it all. It's these reminders that keeps her confident and him grounded.

"Mary…" She looked up at him from drawing… however many now. "I have to get back; my boss is saying I have a meeting out of nowhere?"

"But you never have meetings? This is weird but I mean, work be weird."

"Yeah. Someone wants to meet me, another job offer from the looks of it. I guess maybe coding for one of the subsidiaries or something? Boss sounds just as perplexed, though. Guess we'll see, huh?" He shrugged as he replied to his boss.

Mary gave a small wave to their waitress who returned shortly with the bill and a box for them. Dumping their lunch into the styrofoam container she handed it off to her brother with a nagging look to make sure he ate later. With a quick pack up and payment they rushed back to her car where she drove him back to the tall, dreary and way too modernized corporate building.

* * *

Mary squeezed Alex's shoulder with a, "Later, bro. Good luck on mystery meeting!"

"Thanks. I'll text you the deets, don't worry. See ya!" He gave a final wave before he headed upstairs, checking himself out in the glass as he tidied up as much as possible. Certainly not the day to dress down on but sleep deprivation made him want to stick with something more comfortable than a button up.

The elevator doors opened up and he quickly buttoned his jacket to look more presentable. Maybe he was also a goblin, shit. His casual appearance in a corporate setting began eating at him quickly, checking down the list of current stresses. Internally he begged to keep his job; breaking out into a long stream of worries as the reminder of bills circled back around. He needed his job and it wasn't just about bills either – he worried frequently about Mary pausing in her therapy sessions, which she may be willing to do but he wasn't. Alex's concern about how she's really doing with everything didn't just go away because she said she was alright, especially when the possibility of her therapy was being threatened.  
God, at this rate he'd need it. Well he already did but bills meant prioritizing and he was totally happy bullying her into continuing her sessions. He could wait, they could swap when things were a bit more stable - stable. He liked stable, he could use stable right about now.

His boss liked him, right? Alex wasn't the fondest of the guy but it wasn't like he was a bad dude. Not that he knew of, at least. Just kind of boring? Your average corporate manager to oversee things? He never knew how to describe him but that didn't matter – he was willing to suck dick if it meant keeping this gig.

As Alex rounded the corner he froze, seeing Dick Roman, the CEO of the company there in the flesh. Suddenly his last thought circled back around and that-what, no. Well, _maybe_? This wasn't at all what he meant. But it could be? Maybe instead of speculating he should stop gawking.

Clearing his throat quietly he stepped into the door frame, "Am I interrupting, sir?"

"No, I'd say you're right on time." Mr. Roman interrupted Alex's his usual boss with a smile of all teeth. "Take a seat." He offered the open chair and Alex got a distinct feeling this man walked a fine line of patience and eagerness just by this not-introduction alone.

With a nod he sat in the chair, remembering what Charlie had said not to long ago. "What can I do for you, Mr. Roman?"

"Please, Dick." He enunciated as he leaned against the corner of the desk. "I hear you're good with computers, Alex, specifically hacking and tracking."

Alex's mouth opened and closed a moment as his boss rolled his eyes at hearing this, looking absolutely exasperated by this news. "I haven't done any illegal activity if that's what you're worried about, sir…"

"Well even if you had I wouldn't believe you with that answer." Dick looked directly at him, head bowing as if to get a better look at him. "Now I know you were hired for your engineering degree but a little birdy told me all about your other talents."

_Little birdy? Who the actual f-._  
"Being multi-talented I think is necessary, sir. You're right, I'm good at what I do and it's exactly why I work for your company." Alex answered, proud of his extensive knowledge and backed by the fact he knew he didn't do anything illegal.

"You're confident, I like that." Dick laughed quietly as his hand curled over the edge of the desk, gripping it lightly as he leaned forward some. "So, do you think you're up for hunting down some people who are interested in taking down my company?"

Alex eyed the hand that was nowhere near him but felt a rush of anxiousness all the same. This man had a presence that he wasn't too comfortable with. Swallowing down his nervousness he nodded, "My job is a part of your corporation, Mr. Roman-uh, Dick. Of course I'm interested; I'd like to keep my position."

"Excellent!" He grabbed some files off the desk and handed them over. "This is all the information you need." Dick said in a tone that clearly stated: don't try digging further.

"If I may ask a question, sir?"

Mr. Roman's brows lifted as he leaned back against the desk again with a quiet curiosity. "You may." He permitted though Alex didn't miss the octave drop in his voice.

"Does this have to do with Charlie's work?" Alex asked and just like that Dick's smile lessened a fraction as he stared unblinking at him. "You see, sir, she just said she had an important assignment that you gave her; so I was wondering if this was related to it in any way? It's kind of coincidental that we're both tasked on the same day by The Man."

Dick's gaze never faltered and just when Alex thought he would scowl his lips quirked further instead, "Yes, it's related."

"Can we work together at all? My main point in asking is that it might speed up our progress."

"No." One word, the final word. Rubbing his hands together he gave another friendly smile, one that somehow didn't seem friendly at all. "I'll call you tomorrow to see your progress."

Mr. Roman shoved his hands into his pockets and left the room leaving Alex and his boss stunned by the abruptness of the meeting. They shared a look before he made an attempt to leave only to be stopped by his manager's voice.  
"You uh, aren't doing illegal things… right?"

"Nope! Especially not at work. You know I'm in a tight situation, boss. I wouldn't jeopardize this paycheck." Alex winked at his deflating manager who sank back into the office chair.

Scurrying out of there he returned to his cubicle and whispered Charlie's name in a long, drawn out hiss.

"That was the shortest lunch you've ever taken." She commented and turned around to face him, watching as he dumped the box of food and the rest of his things onto the desk.

"Assignment." He dropped the files onto his desk last, pointedly looking at her.

"Hacking into a hard drive, too?"

"Tracking the owners of the hard drive, at least that's my guess. Or maybe other people related to it." He unbuttoned his suit jacket as he collapsed into his chair. "He doesn't want us working together, in any case. Sorry, I totally didn't think that maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that you mentioned The Man gave you an assignment."

"It's fine. I mean, if we get this done right it's not like he can be upset about it. And it would have been cool to tag team." She bounced one leg as a small lull lingered in the air between them. "So… we're not exactly known for following the rules." Charlie pursed her lips with a cheeky smile.

He tried to suppress his own but failing horribly, "No, we're not. Keep me posted."

"Ha! Ditto!"

* * *

**Hello everyone! I've been staring at this document for way too long. Sorry for any weird bits or mistakes, I'll circle back. For now I'm calling it good enough cause I want to get these out more consistently. I hope everyone is alright and staying safe/healthy! Thank you all again for standing by this story. Feel free to leave me some words in the review section/PM's/or visit me on tumblr where I run a Dick-oriented blog called themanwiththecrown. I love how peeps found me there from my original story and some have again. I welcome interactions over there, whether to roleplay or just chat ooc. ^^  
I don't know why tumblr wants to be an ass and not show my post in the slow ass dick roman tag so I figured I'd just flat out point in that direction to anyone interested! 3  
**


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